Print holders are widely used for display of cards or like printed sheet informational material to the general public, for example on service counters and tables in eating and drinking establishments and in hotels, business offices, stores, banks, and in homes for the display of photographic prints, artwork, and the like.
Conventionally, print holders are of one piece construction, usually of T-form, and comprise a transparent plastic plate that is heat softened and bent to form two opposed major portions connected at an upper end through a sharply curved bend, and a base bent outwardly on one or both sides. The bending is performed in such manner that the two major portions are biased resiliently into contact with one another, so that when a card is inserted for display in the print holder it is gripped and retained resiliently between these portions.
The manufacture of these conventional print holders is a time-consuming and relatively skilled operation which is usually performed largely by hand and therefore the manufacture of the items is relatively slow and expensive.
In addition, the sharp bend at the upper end tends to concentrate stress and the holders are vulnerable to breakage along this bend when portions thereof are gripped and pulled laterally outwardly. This breakage is quite common and may occur as a result of deliberate vandalism or accidentally, for example when replacing a card. Moreover, the engagement of the card is often not as positive as is desirable and the card may become partly is placed or may fall out of the holder so that the card rapidly tends to become bent, stained or soiled and equires undesirably frequent replacement.
The present invention provides a print holder comprising first and second molded transparent plastic pieces of which at least one is of generally L-shape and each comprising a generally planar upright portion, said at least one piece having a base portion extending rearwardly from a lower edge thereof, said planar upright portions being permanently united together at least along portions extending along each side edge of said print holder, a central portion of at least one of said pieces being recessed inwardly to define with the other piece a pocket having an upper opening at an upper end of the print holder, and a lower opening formed adjacent said lower edges of length less than the length of said upper opening whereby a print or like sheet member of width greater than the length of said lower opening and less than the length of the upper opening can be inserted and retained in said pocket and may be dislodged upwardly through said upper opening by applying a thin bladed tool through said lower opening.
The pieces from which the present print holder is made can be molded accurately at high speed using conventional molding techniques, for example by injection molding and the pieces are adapted to be accurately united together at high rates of production either semi-manually or using automated assembly machines, and hence the manufacture of the print holder can be conducted efficiently and relatively inexpensively. The resulting holder is resistant to breakage at least as a result of normal hand-applied forces.
The print holder pocket can be manufactured to have accurate dimensions of width, length and depth so as to snugly receive a card or like sheet material of standard dimensions and thickness and the sheet is not liable to be is lodged or to fall out of the holder except by application of a knife blade, stiff card, or like thin bladed tool to dislodge the sheet from the pocket. Hence the sheet displayed in the holder is retained securely and is protected from damage, staining or soiling.